Trump attacks 'Psycho' Joe Scarborough, 'Crazy' Mika Brzezinski in Twitter tear

[HonestJohn]

Not really.   When you have or control the food supply, you have control over life vs. death.  That is power.   You grow the food, people will come to you to get fed.

Flyover country is also VERY well-armed, enough to protect that food supply.  And what happens if the west coast and port cities are unable to broker a deal with foreign entities?  What if those foreign entities are also trying to recover from a SHTF scenario and are unable to export anything? 

You're making assumptions here that are based on delusional conditions.  Flyover country will survive a SHTF situation.  The east and west coast large cities.... not so much.

Flyover country doesn't control the food supply.  It controls a commodity that is mainly exported... and is nearly completely reliant on non-flyover territory to do so. 

And while food prices would spike with all the flyover territory's food rotting in their silos, non-flyover territory would continue to do what has been long established, importing their food from abroad.  Plus, with all their federal tax monies at home... they'd easily have the extra cash to offset the spike in food costs.

As an example, look at Qatar.  It was completely dependant on Saudi Arabia for food.  The Saudi's exacted a total blockade.  Now Qatar gets their food from Iran and Turkey.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Uh... no.  It doesn't.   Michigan is not in the middle of the country and as of 2013, Michigan had THE highest disability claims. 

Now, that could have changed since 2013, but that's the most recent data I've seen.  You got anything more recent?

[Cripplecreek]

Its actually true. The greatest pockets of disability claims are in more rural, less urban markets.

Disability is an odd metric because its just as often one of choice for retired persons. Depending on individual circumstances they often make a choice between straight social security And social security disability. My mom got hurt shortly before retirement and chose SSDI but switched to straight SS when she officially retired.

Also a lot of people here in Michigan already owned property up in the rural north so they got the disability here in the industrialized southern part of the state and went north. (I'd do the same)

[XenaLee]

SSI and SSDI are different forms of disability insurance.

This clearly shows disability is clustered in the states in the middle of the country.

I messed up.  I meant West Virginia has the highest disability claims, not Michigan.

Uh... no.  It doesn't.   West Virginia (not Michigan) is not in the middle of the country and as of 2013, W Virginia had THE highest disability claims. 

Now, that could have changed since 2013, but that's the most recent data I've seen.  You got anything more recent?

[XenaLee]

Lol.... I made the correction.  I meant W. Virginia, not Michigan.  (ooops)

[ConservativeGranny]

@CatherineofAragon

Honestly I don't care what it is.    I care about whats being done to push through the changes we need. Why are we being distracted with meaningless trivia.    Who cares what he tweets.

We all should care because these tweets are illustrative of a mentally ill man. Using Twitter to carry on playground arguments is not doing anything to explain his policies to the American people. They are completely useless to anyone but Trump and in fact are more likely to gain more sympathy for the press. When he took the job he should of expected that there would be lots of criticisms and jabs from the press. It goes along with the job. Instead of arguing over policy and pointing out where the press is wrong he engages in name calling. He can't debate the issues which tells me he has nothing to debate or is incapable of it. So he resorts to the lowest level and personally attacked his perceived "enemy".

There just is no defense for this behavior. Maybe it's a cry for help?

[Cripplecreek]

How is #10 considered in the "Top 3"?

Michigan isn't flyover country? 

[XenaLee]

Its actually true. The greatest pockets of disability claims are in more rural, less urban markets.

Ehhh..... perhaps a whole nuther thread should be made for this.  I'm having a hard time believing this data.  The past few years (under Obama) disability claims have skyrocketed and I just don't think most of those claims came from the states this data points to.   

[ABX]

Has anyone asked how Melania's crusade against cyber-bullying is going?

[Suppressed]

Which States Are Givers and Which Are Takers?
And is that even the correct way to frame the question?
JOHN TIERNEY  MAY 5, 2014 

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/05/which-states-are-givers-and-which-are-takers/361668/

...

The WalletHub analysts essentially asked how much each state receives back as a return on its federal income-tax investment. They compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia on three metrics: 1) federal spending per capita compared with every dollar paid in federal income taxes; 2) the percentage of a state’s annual revenue that comes from federal funding; and 3) the number of federal employees per capita. The third measure received only half the weight of each of the others in the calculation.

[click link for the lists and graphics]

...



And as for the food supply...

The C-Free Diet
If we didn’t have California, what would we eat?
By Brian Palmer
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/explainer/2013/07/california_grows_all_of_our_fruits_and_vegetables_what_would_we_eat_without.html

...If California were to disappear, what would the American diet be like?

Expensive and grainy.  California produces a sizable majority of many American fruits, vegetables, and nuts: 99 percent of artichokes, 99 percent of walnuts, 97 percent of kiwis, 97 percent of plums, 95 percent of celery, 95 percent of garlic, [90 percent of broccoli], 89 percent of cauliflower, 71 percent of spinach, and 69 percent of carrots (and the list goes on and on).

[XenaLee]

Has anyone asked how Melania's crusade against cyber-bullying is going?

Melania's too smart to tweet, at least.  Gotta give her credit for that.   But she needs to channel her inner dominatrix and whip Donny into submission..... No....Mo... Tweets!

[Cripplecreek]

Has anyone asked how Melania's crusade against cyber-bullying is going?

Not as well as Ivanka's crusade for nationalized childcare is going.

[Suppressed]

Ehhh..... perhaps a whole nuther thread should be made for this.  I'm having a hard time believing this data.  The past few years (under Obama) disability claims have skyrocketed and I just don't think most of those claims came from the states this data points to.   

Then how about 2015?

https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/di_asr/2015/di_asr15.pdf

[XenaLee]

Then how about 2015?

https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/di_asr/2015/di_asr15.pdf

Really?   194 pages?   Like I have time to go through that right now?   lol

Anyway, thanks for the more recent data.  I'll check it out later.

Thanks.

[Suppressed]

We all should care because these tweets are illustrative of a mentally ill man.

Exactly, @ConservativeGranny.  And I don't look down on him for being mentally ill...he's sick, and the sickness isn't his fault.  But his actions are, and his illness doesn't mean you don't use caution when dealing with him.

He can't debate the issues which tells me he has nothing to debate or is incapable of it. So he resorts to the lowest level and personally attacked his perceived "enemy".

 

I think it's a combination of both.  He's demonstrated a low (I was going to say "not 'very low'" but maybe it is "very low") capacity for understanding complex aspects of issues and the implications of actions.  But I think his lowest level response is also just part of his habit and his illness.

There just is no defense for this behavior. Maybe it's a cry for help?

No, I think it's just part of his malignant narcissism.

[Cripplecreek]

There just is no defense for this behavior. Maybe it's a cry for help?

Trump is just a Fabian socialist in the same vein as Cecil Rhodes. He won't call for help because he sees all others as beneath him.

As noted Fabian George Bernard Shaw stated. "Aren't we all Gods in the making?"

[Suppressed]

Really?   194 pages?   Like I have time to go through that right now?   lol

Anyway, thanks for the more recent data.  I'll check it out later.

Thanks.

You're welcome, @XenaLee .  Much of the report are the supporting data, in tables.

You might find Chart 8 interesting, too... disability has fallen off since 2010.


Chart 8.
Social Security disability awards, 1980–2015
Overall, the number of disability awards has risen from 446,083 in 1980 to 839,429 in 2015. Fluctuations during that period were predominately driven by changes in the number of awards to disabled workers. In 2015, there were 741,478 awards to disabled workers; 67,554 awards to disabled adult children; and 30,397 awards to disabled widow(er)s.

[Smokin Joe]

'Flyover' land is a net tax sink compared to  non 'flyover' territory.  If the government collapses, the northeast and the west coast would do fine.  They'd import their food from abroad into their ports and transport it on their roads. And their infrastructure would also get a boost from not needing to support the deadbeats.

'Flyover' territory may grow a lot of corn/wheat...  but without the ability to export it to those with the cash to buy it... it's worth less than mud.

And we'd ship the oil out of the gulf ports, along with grain. The world's gotta eat and go places, too, and y'all would drive prices up. We'd be okay, long after those dollars became ultra strength charmin..

[Sighlass]

I knew Trump was a 14 y/o kid when he tweeted a photoshopped picture of Jeb Bush picking his nose... then when I saw the Trump faithful cheer him on for it, I worried for America.

[skeeter]

Which States Are Givers and Which Are Takers?
And is that even the correct way to frame the question?
JOHN TIERNEY  MAY 5, 2014 

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/05/which-states-are-givers-and-which-are-takers/361668/

...

The WalletHub analysts essentially asked how much each state receives back as a return on its federal income-tax investment. They compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia on three metrics: 1) federal spending per capita compared with every dollar paid in federal income taxes; 2) the percentage of a state’s annual revenue that comes from federal funding; and 3) the number of federal employees per capita. The third measure received only half the weight of each of the others in the calculation.

[click link for the lists and graphics]

...



And as for the food supply...

California must ship all of its fruit to other regions then, because in the past few decades the quality of fruit available here went from best in the world to terrible.

I'm guessing we import nearly all of the stuff in CA supermarkets from regions south. It seems to all have been refrigerated for extended period and tastes bland as hell.

Certainly not the fruit I remember from my childhood.

[XenaLee]

You're welcome, @XenaLee .  Much of the report are the supporting data, in tables.

You might find Chart 8 interesting, too... disability has fallen off since 2010.


Chart 8.
Social Security disability awards, 1980–2015
Overall, the number of disability awards has risen from 446,083 in 1980 to 839,429 in 2015. Fluctuations during that period were predominately driven by changes in the number of awards to disabled workers. In 2015, there were 741,478 awards to disabled workers; 67,554 awards to disabled adult children; and 30,397 awards to disabled widow(er)s.

You might find Chart 8 interesting, too... disability has fallen off since 2010.

That's weird, cause....  I've read that disability claims have gone up recently.  Fake news?  Hard to tell these days.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/11/news/economy/disability-payments/index.html

http://apps.npr.org/unfit-for-work/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07ursmJ9HJ8

[Smokin Joe]

California must ship all of its fruit to other regions then, because in the past few decades the quality of fruit available here went from best in the world to terrible.

I'm guessing we import nearly all of the stuff in CA supermarkets from regions south. It seems to all have been refrigerated for extended period and tastes bland as hell.

Certainly not the fruit I remember from my childhood.

They pick it green and force-ripen it with ethylene. If the produce people aren't really good, the bananas will only last a day or two before they are turning brown.

[truth_seeker]

Ehhh..... perhaps a whole nuther thread should be made for this.  I'm having a hard time believing this data.  The past few years (under Obama) disability claims have skyrocketed and I just don't think most of those claims came from the states this data points to.   

I am heavily inclined to share your skepticism. Under Obama they pulled out ALL the stops, to get and keep people involved with dependency.

Unemployment ran out, go on disability, etc. And go on EBT cards, too.

And as far as honesty in reporting ANYTHING, I would be equally skeptical of Obama era stats.

Before Obama it was easy to find murder by blacks rates on the DOJ site, but for 8 years it was buried very deeply. Instead murder of black stats were prominent.

[Suppressed]

California must ship all of its fruit to other regions then, because in the past few decades the quality of fruit available here went from best in the world to terrible.

I'm guessing we import nearly all of the stuff in CA supermarkets from regions south. It seems to all have been refrigerated for extended period and tastes bland as hell.

Certainly not the fruit I remember from my childhood.

It's an economic maxim that the higher quality gets sent away, because the transportation costs are a smaller percentage of the sale value if you're selling higher priced items.  The cheap stuff wouldn't sell with transportation costs included.

Add to that the changes to make produce more able to handle storage and transit, and increases in yields, etc., and you get a lowering of average quality locally.

[truth_seeker]

Wow. #Nevertrumpers virtue signaling that Trump supporters are in dependent regions, whereby they are more virtuous, living in democrat sh!te hles on the coasts chocked full of feral welfare, EBT card users?

Am I reading the implications of the maps, and claimed virtuosity?

Don't about half of the members live in Texas, which voted for Trump?